


Shallow Bones.

by ThePoetess



Series: Star Trek [7]
Category: Star Trek
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-07-24 00:46:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7486761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePoetess/pseuds/ThePoetess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically a story about Bones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I'm a Doctor. Not a Na-vigator.

"Jim! Are you plain plum crazy!?" Jim Kirk stopped in his tracks and turned about to face his friend in the biolift "come on Bones, five years in space, it'll be fun." "Five years in space, he said, it'll be fun, he said." Oh yes, it had been real fun. The wounds and the deaths, losing the Enterprise, losing that bright spark of life that had been Pavel Chekov. Jim had been right - it had sure been "fun" Bones rolled his eyes angrily as he watched the others in front of him disappear over a small hill.  
He kept walking, muttering to himself, "yeah, it's been real fun, what with outbreaks of space worm and who knows what else everywhere, and that thing on Scotty's arm, I can't catch a break." Irina Galliulin smiled as she walked in stride with the still muttering doctor "try being an engineer."  
James Kirk looked back at them "not far now, come on."

"You'll like my brother and his family, as I recall his boys are a little rambunctious but well mannered around others, George keeps them civil. You'll like them." Over a hill and down into the low valley they went, hearing the captain cheerfully explain away about the features of this and that or stories he had about his brother, Irina who was beside the doctor smiled listening intently. "Vhat about you Dr. McCoy? Are you enjoying shore leave?" He scoffed and kicked out at a rock in his path "Enjoying shore leave? Are you insane!? May I remind you that I am not on the typical shore leave? I am a doctor, not an engineer, it's all good for you maybe, because you don't have to administer and dose and - whatever else I have to do." Irina quickly joined the others, quickening her pace to join Scotty, who looked pleasantly pleased, "Lassie, it'll be a honor to escort you to this destination." She smiled and took his arm scowling "I got tired of the doctor's vhining." Scotty smiled "you'll get used to it in time lass." They walked on leaving the fuming doctor behind. "Just my luck, five years in space - and I can't catch a break. If that pointy eared - goblin - hadn't." He stumbled over the rocks, losing his train of thought, Irina helped him up "Dr. McCoy, I am sorry that you chose the profession of doctor, you vork wery hard, you are good at vhat you do and it shows in your patients, you vill have your much needed break soon, I hardly think there will be a outbreak of space vorm here." She smiled kindly at him as she pulled him to his feet.


	2. No, not Space Worms.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bones and the others meet Jim's brother and family.  
> Disaster strikes.

At last they reached the house of George Kirk. It was late when they arrived, but they were greeted with open arms by the whole family, George, his wife Aurean, and their sons, little Jimmy, Matthew, and Peter. The children were as energetic as the captain, their uncle, had said. They weaved between the newcomers and finally stopped before Irina, and bowed to her. She curtsied laughing "they are delightful, just delightful." They entered the house, the four of them, Irina and the Kirk boys, holding hands. Bones followed carrying his doctor's bag with him as he did, looking dejected, family reunions made him slightly uncomfortable. Suddenly he missed his daughter Joanna. He missed her something awefull.

Cheering up a bit when he smelled the food cooking in the kitchen, he began to see the world as not so bleak. Jim and George were standing together a ways away and were sipping on full glasses of Romulan ale, Spock was among them "Bones, come and join us!" Irina smiled at him as she passed, being pulled along by the three excited children who were laughing and talking in quick consperitative voices as they tugged on her arm "they have a engineering project zhat they vant to show me." Bones finally gave a small smile, all day he had been worrying about epidemics and space worms, he smiled to himself ; everything was fine. He shouldn't have been worried. He nodded as he sipped his Romulan ale, he really shouldn't be worried, should he? He brushed his nervousness off as just another strain he was under, the job getting to him, the loss of the young man he had considered to be a younger brother to every crew member aboard the ship. "Yes" he decided, it was the job that was getting him. He took a sip of the ale. He wasn't ready for what happened next. Irina was with the three children when it happened, when the terrible scream tore the world asunder. The scream had come from George Kirk.

Irina met McCoy in the outer hall, bent over a dead George Kirk. "Jim! These pancake like creatures attacked him Jim, I - I tri-ed Jim, I did - but -." He looked up at Irina who looked pale, as Aurean ran out of the parlour, screaming at the sight of her dead husband, Jim took her in his arms and held her, both of them shaking in grief. Irina moved into the side room to comfort the three boys, all three were sobbing on the ground. She came out a minute later and knelt next to McCoy "Doctor McCoy," she whispered slowly in his ear, cautiously, keeping back tears, "whatever attacked him could and will come back. We need to leave before they do and I propose we take Aurean and the children with us on the Enterprise, it is our duty now to help them survive. Do you agree? Doctor McCoy?" He nodded and craned his neck up to look into her face "I think it would be for the best, I'll talk to the captain about it, thank you Ensign Galliulin." He stood, bones cracking in pain "they were pancake shaped Jim, ensign Galliulin brought something to my attention Jim. Jim, I think it best that we beam your nephews and their mother to the Enterprise, a minute will in my opinion be too late if we want to survive, if we do this we would have to go now and not a minute later."


	3. The Enterprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jim and the others are beamed aboard after burying Jim's brother.

"Damnit Jim, damnit," Leonard McCoy took a sip of the warm stinging ale as he watched Jim Kirk crumble before his very eyes, his friend had lost his brother. Bones couldn't find any words of comfort. He was blank, emotionless like that pointy eared - the pointy eared goblin in question was seated at the table looking towards Jim with a look of sadness on his face. "So he does feel emotion," Bones mused internally. "So ensign Galliulin was a witness to what happened to my -- to George? Bones?" Kirk asked as he leaned his head against the cold metal of the wall, shaking, yet trying without results to control it.  
"Yes Jim, she witnessed what happened to your - brother, George. She tried to pull it off of him."

Jim turned "Bones, when next you see Ensign Galliulin tell her - tell her she did what she could - tell her thank you from me - tell her she acted to the best of her ability - and Bones," McCoy had turned to leave, now he stood before the sliding door "tell Scotty to give her a day off? She needs one." Bones nodded quickly "yes Jim I'll tell her." "Thanks." Jim took up a bottle and opened it taking a swig before he said "oh and Bones, I sent some red shirts to collect a specimen of that deadly pancake like creature." Bones growled and rolled his eyes "Damnit Jim you know red shirts never come back, and you know why, you know why? They're expendable." He walked away before Jim could say anything else.  
He found Irina Galliulin with a bottle of Romulan ale to her lips, as he approached she took it away and wiped her mouth on her sleeve as he came over "is this seat taken?" She shrugged and went back to the bottle as he sat down on the other side of the table "hard night huh? What are you drinking?" She put the bottle to her lips then took it away and scowled at him "does it matter?" Bones scowled back then grabbed the bottle "I too need a drink, captain wanted to thank you by the way, he says you did your duty to the utmost. You can't blame yourself." She shrugged noncommittaly. "Maybe if I had been faster, maybe I could have saved him," she clenched her burning hand into a fist on the table, the sucker like welt had not gone away. "Could you have run faster? Yes," he grabbed her other hand over the table "the truth is, would it have made a difference? No, it would have still killed him, it would have still been able to kill him even if you had run as fast as you could, you did the best you could." She nodded tracing a finger about his wedding ring "do you have family on earth? A vife perhaps?" Bones looked down at his hand then took a sip of ale "widowed, one kid, a girl Joanna, she would be six by now."


	4. Back on Earth.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back on earth, Joanna McCoy is waiting for her father to return.

Back on earth Joanna McCoy awoke to a beautiful sunset. Crawling slowly out of bed she began to dress then slip on her shoes, once she had done that she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and began her walk to the kitchens for breakfast, bacon and eggs, again. She sat down by her older friend, Zachary Keeler, as they both started to eat. Zachary dug into his eggs with his fork and shoveled them into his mouth, "News from space says that our dads are just about here," he pulled up a digipad schematic of the solar system and bent closer to Joanna who looked slightly awed, "right about Alpha Centari one. Won't be long now until they reach their destination, it'll be okay, if there's one thing people can say about your dad, it would be that he is a fighter, he'll be fine." Back in space Leonard McCoy was standing beside a window staring blankly out at the stars. "A five year mission! Joanna would be eleven by the time it ended! Eleven! "Doctor McCoy?" Her voice cut through his thoughts and he turned to see Irina behind him, standing there as if she didn't want to disturb him, "you have been so wery kind to me, I vondered if I could do anything to help you?" McCoy laughed, a hollow sound that echoed as it filled the room "you? You can't even help yourself, you are bordering on reckless insubordination, you can't sleep without waking in the middle of the night screaming, you sleep with a phaser under your pillow, engineer Jensen told me, you sleep walk sometimes, you are a danger to everyone and you ask me if you can help me!? Are you insane!?" She didn't take it personally, as if she had been yelled at like this before, but he could see her eyes full of tears, "I sleep walk because I am used to sleeping next to someone, also it is the only way I know of to work out issues, secondly what I did on that planet was not the best thing I could have done yes, but it was the only option I had, I sleep with a phaser under my pillow because I am afraid, and I cry and scream at night because my memories and dreams are nightmares, if Pavel were here he would back me up, but no he is not here is he? You couldn't save him, just like I couldn't save the Keptin's brother, are we to blame for this? No I do not think so." She turned quickly to go then turned back to look at him "Doctor McCoy, goodnight." Then she left him staring at the stars.

James T. Kirk lay on his bed, arms locked about the slim waist of Carol Marcus who slept soundly beside him, breathing slowly in and out in her sleep. His brother was - he took a gulp of stale air as his throat closed up sharply. A knock on the door made him sit up "enter." Irina Galliulin looked in through the door, her eyes wet with suppressed tears "your nephews, zhey are in bed, Keptin, may I have your permission to care for them until their mother is vell?" Jim nodded slowly "it would be very kind of you Engineer Galliulin, it would be - much appreciated by me and my sister-in-law - now, was that all?" She nodded "thank you Keptin." Peter was still awake when she got back to sickbay, he was sickly white and looked at her when she entered "mother, will she die like father did?" Irina sat beside him and scooped the boy into her arms "no, she vill not die like your father, she von't die, she loves all three of you, she von't die."

But she did. In the middle of the night Peter had pulled Irina out of bed and they had both woken the other two and made it to sickbay just in time. Aureuan had taken Irina's hand and Irina had promised to the dying woman that she would take care of the three boys, and then the woman had died. Irina didn't wake Bones, but hailed the captain on his rooms com, to tell him the bad news. He came to sickbay a minute later tousle haired and teary eyed to find Irina huddled over the three children, holding them as they cried, Peter was clutching his mothers hand, the other two looked into Irina's face "she can't be dead!" Irina pulled them all closer on the floor and Peter buried his face in her shoulder "Your mother asked me to take care of you now, I'm going to take such good care of you, I promise, Keptin," she looked up at him slowly, "why didn't you call the doctor down here?" Irina shook her head blankly "I thought it a family matter, I vanted zhem to be alone vith her, believe me, vhat I did vas right Keptin, I vish I had the same time to say goodbye, vhen my mother died I vas alone vith know one to care for me but myself, I never got to say goodbye." Kirk took a seat beside them and pulled one of the boys to his shoulder "it'll be okay now okay boys? I am so sorry, so sorry." He had never felt so alone, his brother dead, and now his brothers wife. He looked into the faces of his three nephews and saw his own face reflected in each.


	5. Let this be Your Last Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bones and Irina try to find a way of killing the Alien pancake creatures, while keeping the host alive.

"Damnit Jim, Starfleet is stronger with you than without you! And you're just going to throw it all away!? I can't believe this!"

Bones slammed his fist on the table. Irina, sitting at the table and brushing Peter's hair looked up open mouthed, "Keptin, you must not give up so soon, zhere is a saying zhat vas first spoken in my home country of Russia, it is, Rome vasn't built in a day, and another vas, if at first you don't succeed, try try again, or as my father used to add onto zhat, if zhat does not vork, get a wery large gun. I mean Keptin zhat zhere are other things you can do, besides your nephews need you, and I have a idea, but I'll need one of zhose alien pancakes to experiment on."  
"Engineer Galliulin, do you know what you are doing?" Irina gave Bones a small smile and flicked her welder's goggles down over her eyes  
"Of course I know vhat I am doing."  
Five minutes later they were covered in a nice smattering of alien pancake innards, Irina flicked a piece off her goggles "alright maybe zhat vasn't zhee best idea ewer."

Bones stared at her "the best idea ever! My god, I think you've got it!" He started out into the hallway and towards the bridge.

She ran after him "I didn't say it vould vork!"

"Let's call them something a little more scientific, let's call them, Neural Parasites," Jim looked up from the digipad on his lap "Neural Parasites Bones!?" McCoy nodded "yes Jim, neural parasites. Lucky for us Jim that Irina is not just a good engineer, she found out how to kill them, she found their Achilles heel so to speak." Jim turned to Spock "Achilles was a great warrior from -" "yes captain I know, I am well aware of your mythology." Jim laughed "alright Bones how do we kill them?" Irina Galliulin had just arrived on the bridge, still covered in what looked like raspberry jelly and pancake, "high intensity light, actually ultraviolet light. Zhat is their Achilles heel."

"Captain's log, supplemental. Whatever the creatures are, they have apparently taken over all the inhabitants of Deneva. Meanwhile, ship's surgeon Dr. McCoy is examining a strange puncture wound left by one of the creatures on Mr. Spock's back."

"Pain is a thing of the mind. The mind can be controlled." Spock looked back at McCoy as the doctor gathered his medical tools "well isn't that uplifting information."


	6. The Voyage

"Jim are you plum crazy!? What if this doesn't work!? Deneva will just be another dead planet, devoid of any life!" Jim Kirk stood in the center of a courtyard in Deneva, he laughed for the first time in a while "don't be so melodramatic, Bones." Surrounding them were a ring of pancake creatures. Jim looked sideways at his friend "ultraviolet light you say?" Bones nodded, Kirk scowled "Bones this better work," Leonard McCoy gulped nervously "it'll work Jim, it'll work. Trust me." Jim rolled his eyes "well isn't that just great." 

Irina Galliulin blanched, the children were all in their beds and she had plenty of time to wander the ship, unable to sleep herself. There was something eerie about the hallways of the ship that made her shiver. "Irina?" Chekov had smiled at her as he led her onto the deserted starship. "Vhere are ve going Pavel?" They had found their way to the bridge. Chekov motioned about the bridge "someday Irina I vill be at the controls of one of zheese starships, and I vill have you at my side?" She had twirled about laughing and as she stopped she had nodded "yes, yes, you vill alvays have me." But it had not happened that way and as she had kissed him that night she had felt them breaking apart, she had felt the space between them widen like a chasmn, even though it had been the night they would never forget, and now she was here. On a ship with three newly orphaned children. She hoped the plan would work, she hoped for the children's sakes that their uncle would not be so stupid as to mess up the plan. Jim Kirk was known for improvising things, sometimes with mixed results. Little Peter opened his eyes and blinked up at her as Irina stroked his hair "your uncle vanted me to tell you zhat he vill be back." She reassured him as he laid her head on her lap. "You promise?" His big eyes grew larger, she nodded "yes, I promise. He vill be safe and back before you know it."


	7. The Plan.

"Jim, it'll work, its got to, it'll work." Jim Kirk pushed the button on the ultraviolet contraption Scotty, Jaylah, and Irina had rigged up for them, in less than an hour. There was a moment when they believed it not to have worked, there was a moment when they believed that they would now meet their imminent doom. Well that is what Kirk was thinking at least. Till the plan worked. The creatures emitted ear piercing screams, then shriveled and died. Jim Kirk stuck the contraption in the ground and started to walk over the pancake like creatures, laughing, "it really worked!" he turned back to Bones, "come on Bones, let's go home." Bones McCoy grumbled as he followed Kirk out of the courtyard. Next moment Scotty had beamed them onto the Enterprise and they were home.

Irina Galliulin met them at the transporter and almost hugged them out of joy, almost. Instead she shook their hands with enthusiasm, "Keptin! Dr. McCoy! I am so wery happy you both are back safe, I did promise the boys. I knew it." Bones hugged her, kissing her on the cheek he pulled away and laughed drunkenly "it worked! Excellent job! It actually worked!" Irina smiled bashfully "I knew it vould." They walked slowly to the bridge together.


	8. All things must pass.

Irina Galliulin stood with tears stinging her eyes as she looked down fondly at all three Kirk boys "when will we see you again?" Peter whispered as he looked down at the graves of his parents. Irina shook her head "maybe you vill see me in a year, maybe two, it is hard to say." Her voice took on a mournful tone, one of sadness "I promise vee vill see each other again someday." Little Jimmy wiped the tears from his eyes and whispered with a smile "you promise?" She wiped her eyes on her red sleeve and nodded somberly "I promise." She waved goodbye as they were sheparded away. Kirk stood beside her watching his nephews walk away, Jimmy still waving. Kirk stood with his feet apart and his hands on his waist, he looked sideways at Irina "you'll be glad to hear that commander Spock is sufficiently recovered," Irina nodded and wiped her nose "I am wery glad to hear it." Kirk eyed her "you want to stick around a while?" Irina turned, too startled to speak. "You could hang around a while, I think I heard Spock comment that he was to give you a commission, good day Ensign Galliulin." He handed her a command gold mini dress. She watched Kirk walk back to the main building as she mouthed the word "Ensign." She would sit at the same controls as Chekov had and she would fly the ship he had so loved. She felt now that she was finally home.


End file.
